Academic
offerings: The Department
offers a full day garden and culinary camp engaging Nutrition
students with disadvantaged area youth in both gardening and
cooking activities that focus on healthy living and sustainable
food systems. Scholarships are offered to young people from
the surrounding city. The camp also includes a newly developed
program for children with disabilities.
Experiential
learning: Service learning and grant efforts include provision
of nutrition and gardening lessons to inner city school children
in St. Louis and East St. Louis; establishing a food-processing
center to incorporate more locally grown food into school
lunches; and using solid food waste with vermiculture and
in-vessel composting to provide compost for gardens.
Employment
opportunities: Employment of dietitians is expected
to increase 10-20% through 2010 (US Bureau of Labor Statistics,
2002-2003). Between 2000 and 2010, the demand for higher-skilled
culinarians is expected to increase 21-35% (US Bureau of
Labor Statistics, 2002-2003). Registered Dietitians (RD)
are versatile and can work in many different settings.
* In hospitals or other health care facilities, RDs are
part of the health care team administering medical nutrition
therapy and educating patients.
* In foodservice operations, RDs oversee menu development
and food preparation as well as managing food service
staff.
* Food and nutrition-related business and industries are
areas in which RDs can put their food science, consumer
affairs, and marketing skills to use.
* Sports Nutrition and wellness programs allow RDs to
impact the overall health of individuals combining food
and fitness.
* Community and public health settings are great for RDs
who like to work with diverse populations advising the
public through monitoring and program planning.
* Another option for RDs is opening their own private
practice where they can contract with companies or specialize
to counsel patients.
* Universities and medical centers employ RDs who want
to be educators teaching students who strive to become
RDs or other health professionals such as physicians or
nurses.
* Finally RDs can do research for food or pharmaceutical
companies in order to make recommendations for the public.
